This past Sunday the title of Brigid Galusha’s “Garden Paths” was ‘A haven for bees and butterflies’. I just read the article from the National Garden Bureau that Brigid referred to. The article urges planting crocuses to provide early nectar sources for the bees. I would go one step better. Why not plant bulbs that bloom even earlier and that self sow? Snowdrops can bloom in January and winter aconites with their golden yellow petals are not far behind. On warm days the bees just swarm around them. Two other early blooming bulbs are chiondoxa and scilla, both with blue flowers. A word of warning for chiondoxa; they are easily pollinated and produce scads of seeds so they can overwhelm.

On Friday the 8th of November the Corning Garden Club will be presenting a program on the Monarch and other butterflies. The talk is open to the public and those who attend will learn some amazing facts about Monarchs and will even learn to tell the male from the female butterflies. Our speaker is Janet Allen from the Syracuse area. Janet and her husband have established a Monarch WayStation. Before I heard Janet speak this past March, I did not know what a Monarch WayStation was and how important they are for assuring the survival of this amazing butterfly. Janet is president and co-founder of Wild Ones Chapter of Habitat Gardening in Central New York. It is a fascinating story delivered by an accomplished speaker. If you come, you will not be disappointed and I hope to see you there.